Uxmal in Yucatan: Come for the Pyramid. Stay for the Light Show.
Uxmal in Yucatan is another one of those places in the Yucatan Peninsula that you’ve probably heard mentioned more than once. With a population of around 20,000, it used to be one of the largest cities here. As you can guess, there’s quite a lot to see here. It is one of the most important cities in Maya history. The most representative of the Puuc architectural style, which predominates in this area.
According to some historians, its name means “the one that was built three times”. This could be related to its construction stages, which were actually five. However, for other historians, Uxmal means “that which is yet to come”. This seems to correspond to its legend, which tells of an invisible city that rose in a single night thanks to the magic of the dwarf king. This is Uxmal, a city between reality and fantasy.
Uxmal’s huge pyramid
Given that it’s a famous city, there has to be a pyramid, right? Of course! And it’s appropriately huge. Plus, it has a surprising name. According to Mayan legend, the Pyramid of the Magician was built in a single day by a dwarf boy—the magician. In reality, however, it took much longer, as it sits on top of five other, previous temples. Because they were incorporated into the pyramid, you can still access their remnants from within. Cool, huh? Cooler still: the entrance to one of them is shaped like a mouth—that of the Mayan god of rain, Chac.
The Pyramid of the Magician holds a secret. It stands in such a way that the western staircase faces the sun at the setting of the summer solstice. It is about 35 meters high and has an elliptical plan of 53.5 meters. To date, five construction phases have been detected at different times and with different architectural styles.
Uxmal’s other structures
The Palace of the Governor and the House of Turtles stand on raised platforms, side to side, and they’re both intricately decorated. You’ll come across an imposing figure (a warrior, maybe?) wearing a feathered helmet in the first. In the second, not surprisingly, you’ll see turtles, as they were thought to pray to the god Chac along with humans.
As far as decorations go, few can rival the Temple of the Doves, thought to be one of the earliest structures here, and also one of the most decorated. Except, perhaps, the Palace of the Governor, with its long façade and 103 masks of the god Chac.
Uxmal in Yucatan: Other structures
The Governor’s Palace is an excellent architectural work for its beauty and precision. It is a very large rectangular building. The Quadrangle of the Nuns is a Platform of 26 rooms. Form many, is similar to a convent, with decorations of Chaac masks and snake heads.
Uxmal in Yucatan: Some clever engineering
As this was one of the biggest and most important cities of its time, it’s probably not surprising to find many sacbes here. Also, for such a large city, it’s interesting to note there are no cenotes here. Without these cisterns of nature, the Uxmal engineers had to get clever to come up with a way to store water. The system they came up with—large funnels with a hole in the middle to gather water—is quite impressive.
The light show
Finally, if you’re still here at night, you’ll be rewarded with one of the oldest light shows on any Mexican archeological site. It was inaugurated in 1975, and in attendance was none other than Queen Elizabeth II!
The show is called “Echoes of Uxmal”. The ticket price for the show, regardless of the day, is $640 general admission. The show is presented at two times: 7:30 pm and 8:15 pm.
The tour lasts approximately one hour and includes a tour with stops at the emblematic buildings of this Mayan civilization, such as the pyramid El Adivino, Cuadrángulo de las Monjas and the Juego de Pelota.
